IN THE CASE OF RAIN THE EVENT WILL BE HELD INDOORS AT THE SAME LOCATION. RESTRICTIONS: NO REFUNDS. SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. PHYSICAL SEATS ARE LIMITED. THIS MEANS YOU MAY NOT GET A CHAIR. YOU ARE WELCOME TO BRING A BLANKET AND SIT PICNIC-STYLE, BUT NO ALCOHOL IS PERMITTED.

Neurotypical looks at autism from within, as its own culture to be accepted and appreciated, and ultimately broadens the concept of what it means to be human.

Bridges between the autistic world and the “neurotypical” one are hard to come by and are often tenuous, creaky, and unstable. Sometimes, all we need is a lens into a different way of navigating the same societal questions to ask what, in fact, is “normal,” and whether it is dangerous to define our society on such strict terms. Filmmaker Adam Larsen will be at the show in person to answer for a Q&A after the film.

THE FILMS

Neurotypical (Adam Larsen | Roanoke, VA | 88 min.)Neurotypical puts a lens on people navigating autism at very different stages of their lives and diagonses. Three-year-old Violet experiences the world in a pure, sensory way with none of the societal trappings that even children feel, as they are directed toward the “normal” and the “correct.” Violet is an explorer, with no concerns as to what the world might think of her. She scrambles, touches, feels, sees, smells and is a part of her world.

Nicholas, a young teenager, is at a very different stage. He negotiates the teenage social realm, largely from his skateboard. Being a teenager is an already complex social prospect, as are family relationships during that time. Nicholas has to contend with friends, girls, and how not to alienate a little brother who worships him and parents that are equally enamored and baffled by him.

Paula, married and the mother of a young son, uses her recent autism diagnosis to explain the difference in how she relates to the world compared to her husband and friends. Oddly, while her diagnosis “explains” much of her social behavior in her relationship, her husband is troubled because it also seems to give her “a pass.”

Seeing the highly intelligent subjects featured in this non-fiction film raises questions about how we, as a larger society, consider those with neurological differences like autism, dyslexia, and downs syndrome that don’t fit into the rigid boxes of “neurotypical” life. Are we practicing a new eugenics through genetic testing and the weeding out of those who don’t fit our idea of “normal”?

- Sarah Palmer

MUSIC

Wires Under TensionWires.Under.Tension is a duo based in The South Bronx. Combining homegrown audio sampling instruments with ferocious beats and adventurous orchestration, WUT's angular gymnastics reflect the raw imagery of their home turf. Multi-instrumentalist Christopher Tignor switches dexterously between violin and the rest of the arsenal while Theo Metz extracts brutal truths from the kit. Together WUT is rethinking what instrumental music can be about when musicianship and restless experimentation rule the scene.

Rooftop Films is a New York based non-profit whose mission is to engage diverse communities by showing independent movies in outdoor locations, producing new films, coordinating youth media education, and renting equipment at low cost to artists.